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Faculty Academic Resources

What is Academic Integrity?

The International Center for Academic Integrity defines academic integrity as “a commitment, even in the face of adversity, to six fundamental values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage. From these values flow principles of behavior that enable academic communities to translate ideals to action. ”

Academic misconduct encompasses many behaviors, but the core idea is when a student chooses any action one might construe as “an unfair or undeserved academic advantage5”, they undermine their learning, their goals, and their relationships within the UIC community. For a complete list of Academic Integrity standards, please reference section IV.A. of the Student Disciplinary Policy.

Creating a culture of Academic Integrity

Creating a culture of academic integrity within a classroom is one of the most critical components of teaching. Research suggests there are a number of easy but essential steps professors can take to this end:

Focus on growth mindset and the value of learning and skill building1 over a culture of competition/getting a job

Talk about Academic Integrity early and often – not just during presentation of syllabi, but repeated on key assignments3

Speak about it as an exercise in cultivating integrity not just about eliminating cheating3

Cultivate trust with your students3

Address misconduct as it arises to reduce recidivism and improve the overall student culture

Detecting Academic Misconduct

The number one reason faculty fail to report academic misconduct is doubt they have enough evidence to substantiate a claim4. Know that tools such as SafeAssign, MOSS, and even just a google search make finding evidence somewhat simple. You can also search sites like Chegg or Course Hero for papers matching students’ work.

Additionally, one of the easiest ways to gather evidence of academic misconduct is speaking with the student. You can ask them to explain their thought process regarding various pieces that seem incongruent with the overall submission or earlier submissions. Students who have completed the work themselves can typically walk you through their process with much greater clarity than those who took help from outside sources. The student’s response can then be included as an important component in your incident report.